


Project Nightmare

by WordsAreMusicForTheEyes



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Absent Parents, F/M, Genetic Engineering, Hydra (Marvel), M/M, Medical Procedures, Mild Sexual Content, Mind Control, Mutants, POV Child, Possession, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Psychological Warfare, Super Soldier Serum
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-02-11 18:11:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2078112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsAreMusicForTheEyes/pseuds/WordsAreMusicForTheEyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Months after the breakdown of HYDRA, a child-Katia Belle, their prized experiment-flees from the remaining dregs of the malevolent organisation.</p>
<p>Lost and alone, she searches desperately for her mother, from whom she was separated, but soon finds herself in the protection of SHIELD and the Avengers.</p>
<p>Katia not only learns more about the reason for her existence and of her parents-but she quickly discovers HYDRA will go to violent lengths to have her back in their clutches...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Looking For Mother

**Author's Note:**

> Much different to what I usually write. This idea suddenly hit me, and I absolutely HAD to start a fic. Whether it's any good, well...that's a subjective thing I guess.
> 
> Hope you guys like it so far. It'll get more interesting as the chapters progress :)

Katia stumbled uncertainly toward a gas station, her bleak grey jumpsuit smeared in mud and grass stains. After running through the forest without so much as a minute's break, the black canvas pumps she wore were rubbing horribly at her feet. The stiff shoes were digging painfully, through her thin cotton socks, into the skin of her Achilles tendons. Every step was burgeoning agony, but Katia held back the tears she wanted to let roll down her cheeks, still stinging from the numerous scratches she'd accumulated from bolting past sharp branches.

Despite the grief the pain was causing her, she deemed it worthwhile. If it meant finding her mother, she would have gladly sprinted a mile on raw feet.

If it hadn't been for the one man filling the tank of his dilapidated van, Katia would have believed the place abandoned. She slowly crossed the road, peering from side to side and noticing just how far it stretched into the horizon. Having spent the majority of her life in the confined space of an underground facility, with its white-grey concrete walls, sludge green linoleum floor and endless tubes of fluorescent lighting, being outside-in the open- was both exciting and liberating. From the flickering blades of green grass all the way up to the azure blue sky. Katia loved how the sun's light dappled the leaves of surrounding trees, and bathed her in its warmth. This was life outside, this was freedom.

Approaching the entrance to the gas station, the man refuelling his vehicle gave her a perplexed look. Considering her garb and unkempt state, it was hardly surprising. Or more so, perhaps, the fact that she was a five year old girl completely on her own.

Katia pressed on with her journey, and pushed at the entrance door with both of her little hands. The girl wandered through aisles of shelving taller than herself, a slight limp in her gait from the pain, and eventually came up to the counter. The female gas station attendant stared down at Katia in bewilderment.

 

"Honey, where did you come from? Where's your Mommy and Daddy?" She walked around the counter and knelt in front of Katia.

"I'm looking for my Mommy. I don't know where she is. They sent her off somewhere like they usually do, but some of the agents took me to another facility and I haven't seen her since. I managed to get out. I'm looking for her." Katia informed the attendant matter-of-factly, who's expression was dismay mingled with confusion.

"Wha-where's...where's your Daddy?" She asked, thrown by the little girl's response.

"I'm not allowed to talk about Daddy. Mr Pierce said so." Katia answered, drawing her dark brows together in a determined frown.

"Who are these people you keep mentioning? Who's **_they_ **? Who's Mr Pierce?" The attendant held Katia's arm gently, her eyes looking at Katia with unwavering focus. Katia suddenly glanced down at the floor, pursing her lips in a fretful gesture. Tentatively, she plucked at her jumpsuit lapel, drawing the attendant's attention to the symbol emblazoned on the grey fabric.

The skull, with six snakes emerging from its jaw.

HYDRA.

 

The woman had taken Katia into the back room of the gas station. It was effectively a mock-office. She was sat at the desk, one hand holding the phone to her ear, the other combing through her own hair absent-mindedly.

"Hi, I've gotta little girl here, looks only five years old or something, turned up by herself in a muddy jumpsuit. Said she was looking for her mom, and that she hadn't seen her since these guys moved her to another  ** _facility_**. She told me she escaped. I asked about her Dad-said she'd been told not to talk about about him? And-" The woman looked anxiously at Katia, sat on a chair opposite her, swinging her legs back and forth idly. "-there's this badge, like a symbol, on her jumpsuit. I don't know what it is exactly, but it seems kinda freaky to me. Could you send someone out to pick her up? I don't want her wandering around on her own. Poor kid looks like she's been through a war."

Katia observed this seemingly one-sided conversation with mild curiosity. Watching the attendant running her fingers through her own hair reminded her of her mother. A memory floated to the surface of her mind.

 

**Mommy was strapping on her padded black vest. Kevlar, she called it. She then pulled on her thick, fingerless gloves.**

**"I'll be back soon, Katia. This'll only be a few days _, Kleines_." Mommy would use German, sometimes, when she spoke to her. Katia loved learning German from Mommy and her tutor. She had to learn Russian too, but that wasn't as nice, and made sticky stuff come up at the back of her throat. Her tutor said it was 'phlegm', and it would only get worse when she had to learn Dutch, which had lots of throaty sounds in its language. She wondered why she had to learn so many languages.  
**

**"I miss you, Mommy. I don't like it when you go." Katia told her.**

**"I don't like leaving you, _Schatzi_ , but I haven't got a choice. I have to do what Mr Pierce says or...or I get in trouble." Mommy talked to Katia's reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair back, and began plaiting it. Mommy had beautiful hair, Katia thought. She'd read a book, based on a Greek myth, where a lady's hair was described as 'an ebony waterfall'. The lady in the picture had hair exactly like Mommy's. So that was it. Mommy had an ebony waterfall, which would shine under the lights. **

**Katia's own hair was a bit lighter. It was like her Daddy's, she decided. She also noticed her skin was a blend of her Mommy and Daddy's. Mommy's skin was a rich, golden brown. Daddy had porcelain skin. She'd learnt the word 'porcelain' from her tutor, so was pleased she could put it to good use. Katia definitely didn't have her Daddy's eyes, pale blue-grey eyes that weren't happy, sad, angry or...anything.**

 

**"Like when I don't read a chapter in my workbooks that Mr Donovan tells me to read?" Katia asked, with a playful smile.**

**"Yes, something like that. I hope you don't do that often, Katia?" Mommy laughed, and gave her a look that would have been scary had she not been smiling.**

**"I don't, I don't." Katia shook her head, trying to look innocent.**

**"Hmm." Mommy hadn't sounded like she'd believed Katia. The door to their room was opened. Rumlow stood in the doorway, dressed in padded, black clothes.**

**"Ready, Shadowfox?" He asked.**

**"Nearly. Can I say goodbye to Katia?" Mommy sounded nervous when she talked to Rumlow. He nodded, and leaned against the doorframe. Mommy turned to Katia, kneeling down in front her.**

**"I promise I'll be back soon. I'll give you a big hug and kiss, _Schatzi_. _Ich liebe dich,_ Katia." She placed her hand on Katia's cheek, and looked at her with those brown eyes, full of unyielding love.**

**" _Ich liebe dich, Mutti_." Katia said. Mommy held out her arms, and Katia immediately fell into them, winding her own arms around Mommy's back. She didn't want the warm hug to ever end, she didn't want to lose the softness of Mommy's hair tickling against her nose and the sweet smell it had. But with that kiss on her cheek, she knew it had to. She knew after that, Mommy would get up, look at her lovingly, and give her a light tap on the nose-like she always did before she left on Mr Pierce's orders.  **

**After Mommy walked out, Rumlow gave her smile with only one side of his mouth.**

**"See you around, kiddo. Hang tight. Your Mom's gonna be back soon." He told her, kindly. As he always did.**

**Then she was left on her own.**

 

Katia was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to find her mother. The tears finally cascaded down her face.

As the attendant mopped at her eyes with balled-up tissue, Katia silently vowed she would find her mom, no matter what...

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta dah! Chapter One done! Hopefully not too dull? :p 
> 
>  
> 
> Kleines=little one   
> Schatzi=little treasure  
> Ich liebe dich=I love you (you probably figured that out, but I thought I'd note it down anyway :D)


	2. Meeting Father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! I know this story is pretty weird-especially with the child POV thing, but there will be chapters with other characters' points of view and such.
> 
> So, to whoever reads this (not many I suspect, it's not exactly cheery fluffy stuff), I hope you enjoy :)

Waiting in the back room, Katia found herself assessing everything-from the pictures on the wall, an intriguing cat calendar momentarily capturing her attention, to the position of the furniture and air vents. That was always something that puzzled her. She knew people looked around places, to gain familiarity with their environment, but with Katia it seemed different. She wasn't looking for the sake of looking or becoming more comfortable. She was **_studying_** the room, odd thoughts crossing her mind-calculating various routes out of the room without having to use the door.

What would make her contemplate methods of escape? She was a five year old-why should she feel endangered enough to think such things?

"Honey, some police officers are gonna come and pick you up. They'll keep you safe, and try and find your Mom and Dad." The attendant assured Katia, returning from serving a customer.

"Okay. Thank you." Katia said, her tone almost perfunctory. She gave the woman a polite smile, the corners of her mouth raised a fraction. The attendant wasn't perturbed by this slightly unusual behaviour. She looked doleful, wondering how a young child could be such a stoic.

"Would you...like anything to eat or drink?" She questioned Katia ambivalently.

"May I have a glass of water?"

"Sure thing, honey." The attendant reached out and brushed back a lock of Katia's hair, a gesture of affection to knock down the barrier this child had put up. She was rewarded with a more genuine smile from the little girl.

 

"I'm Katia. What's your name?" She asked, a glint of curiosity in those brown, doe eyes.

"Tina. My Mom was a big fan of Tina Turner. Katia is a beautiful name, honey."

"Thank you. Who's Tina Turner?" Katia tilted her head to one side, an inquisitive expression in place.

"Oh...she's a famous singer. Got an incredible, powerful voice." Tina explained.

"Oh." Katia nodded in acknowledgement. " Tina, why do you call me 'honey'?"

"Um...it's just something I do. Well, something people do. It's a term of endearment."

"What's a 'term of endearment'?"

"It's a nice word you use...for someone you care about or just want to be friendly towards, I guess. Not a great definition, but it's the best I can come up with. Someone's got to have called you 'honey' or 'sweetie' at some point? Your Mom, she must have called you something...?"

"She does. Rumlow did too. I just wondered **_why_**. Now I know." Katia had an amusingly wise look on her round face. "Mommy cares about me. I think Rumlow did, too. I don't know. He seemed to like Mommy a lot. Maybe that's why he liked me too?"

Another memory drifted into her mind's eye...

 

**Katia was three years old, waiting to go into the lab. Dr Gallagher would carry out her tests on Katia and then let her go back to her room, back to Mommy. Different HYDRA agents would escort her to the lab, but usually it was Rumlow.**

**At first she was a little scared of him, with his hair spiked up a bit at the front and narrow eyes, irises blue as ice. But he would muss up her hair and say "Time to go see Doc Gallagher, kiddo." Sometimes he would even hold her hand when taking her to the lab.**

**As time went by, Katia learnt a few tricks that would get different kindly responses. If she held her arms out to Rumlow and moved toward him, he'd lean down and give her a hug. If she lifted her arms up, and jumped on the spot, he'd pick her up and carry her.**

**"You're gonna be alright, sweetie. Usual tests, nothing bad. She just wants to make sure everything's progressing as it should be. I'll be right here when you come out." He'd told her before she went in to see Dr Gallagher.**

**Katia decided Rumlow was a nice man.**

 

A bell rang from the store. Tina rose up, from where she'd knelt in front of Katia, and made her way out of the back-room. Katia watched the door with a strange diligence.

When Tina returned a few minutes later, she was accompanied by a man and a woman, both wearing uniforms. The male police officer addressed her politely.

"Hello there, Katia. I'm Officer Allard and this is Officer O'Neil. Tina called and asked us to come and collect you. We're going to take you to the station, and try and contact some people who'll look after until we find your parents. Are you okay to come with us?" He asked. Katia, even at such a young age, knew she had no choice but to go with them. Lack of free will was something she was well acquainted with.

"Yes, Officer." Katia said, with a drooping of her shoulders, as she hopped down from her chair.

"Good girl, Katia. Thank you for calling us, Mrs Stuart. You can return to your usual business." Officer Allard nodded at Tina, ever the staunch upholder of propriety. He turned to his partner, and signalled her to take hold of Katia. O'Neil gently clasped the child's hand in her own. As Allard vacated the room, O'Neil followed. Katia swivelled round and bid farewell to Tina.

"Bye, Tina. Thank you for being kind and using a term of endearment when talking to me." She said, unaware of how sweet she sounded. Tina smiled fondly at the girl, raising her hand, lifting her fingers up in a demure wave. The attendant then recalled that she never did get that glass of water for Katia.

Katia didn't seem fussed. She'd concluded that Tina was a kind woman.

 

On the way to the station, Katia was belted in safetly in the back of the police car. Allard and O'Neil were holding up the usual stream of chatter with one another, allowing Katia to enjoy the passing scenery through the window.

"...until we find your parents." Allard had said. Well, Katia was determined to locate her 'missing' mother, but her father was an entirely different matter altogether. She had no real connection to her father. After all, she'd met him once, and merely seen him in passing a couple of times in the year following their meeting. On one of the occasions she saw him in passing, he didn't show any sign of recognition. It was as though he'd never met her. He simply gave her a cursory glance- with those chilling, blue eyes - before looking straight ahead, followed by a few members of the STRIKE team.

There was a small ache in her chest as yet another memory occupied her thoughts.

 

**She'd recently turned four years old. Mommy had gone away to do whatever it was Mr Pierce wanted her to do. Katia was being taken to a part of the facility she'd never been to before. She was rather excited about seeing a new part of the building, and also found it strange that it was the one and only time Rumlow hadn't left with Mommy.**

**"Where are we going, Rumlow?" Katia asked.**

**"You'll see soon, kiddo. I can tell you that Mr Pierce was keen for you to visit." He told her. Katia's stomach filled with nervous butterflies. Mr Pierce was the man in charge of HYDRA. Was he angry at her for something? What did he want her to see? Mommy always seemed scared when she mentioned him. If the bravest person she knew was scared of him, he must be really, really mean.**

**Katia gripped Rumlow's hand tighter, and kept walking by his side. They arrived at two doors, that were made up of long metal bars running from the ceiling to the ground. Some HYDRA agents were stood guard at both doors. Katia noticed how the floor and walls were a dirty lime green colour, and the lights seemed dimmer here. That made the corridor look like it was ill. If corridors _could_ be ill. **

**The HYDRA agents nodded at Rumlow, allowing him and Katia access through the doors. As they approached yet another door, this one more normal than the previous two, but also made of thick metal-Katia heard the vertical bar doors being locked behind them.**

**Why did they need to lock the doors? Katia had wondered.**

 

**Rumlow tapped his knuckles against the door. A moment or so later, it was opened slowly by another HYDRA agent, Rollins, who stood out of the way so Rumlow and Katia could enter the room.**

**The room was bleak with a sepia tint to it. Katia saw men with spotless white lab coats, scientists like Dr Gallagher, moving around a man, sat on a strange looking chair in the middle of the room. They all looked very busy.  
**

**Facing away from them was a man in a dark grey suit, his arms folded as far as Katia could tell.**

**"Sir?" Rumlow called out. The man in the suit turned around. He was old-ish, judging by his wrinkles, with carefully parted dark blond hair and watchful blue eyes.**

**"Rumlow. Good to see you. And you-" The man looked down, "-must be Katia."**

**Katia nodded shyly.  "Do you know who I am, Katia?" He asked her, smiling.**

**"Um...Mr-Mr Pierce." She answered quietly.**

**"That's correct, Katia. Do you know what I do?"**

**"You're...you're in charge of HYDRA."**

**"Excellent. Smart girl. I run everything. I even decide what books your tutor gives you. I decide what missions your mother gets sent on. I decide who your father gets sent to deal with." Mr Pierce said, before squatting down in front of Katia, putting his eyes level with hers. "Would you like to meet your father, Katia?" His voice was low and calm, but for some reason, Katia was afraid of this man. She still nodded keenly at the question put to her.**

**"Stand to attention, Soldier." Mr Pierce suddenly ordered, sharply, turning his head to the man in the chair. The man stood up instantly. "Well, Katia. Here he is. Your father-the Winter Soldier. He's a great asset to the cause of HYDRA, as you will be too, one day."**

 

**Katia stared at her father. He wore black clothes, with a padded vest and great, big lace-up boots. His dark brown hair reached his shoulders, and looked in need of a brushing.**

**"Come here, Soldier." Mr Pierce commanded. Her father walked over without a single word. "This is your daughter." Mr Pierce told him. The Winter Soldier, as he was called, looked down at Katia. His eyes were a mix of blue and grey, Katia noted. He didn't really look at her, but studied her like she was one of Mr Donovan's books. Dr Gallagher would have called it 'analysing'.**

**Even so, Katia was pleased to finally meet her father. Her Daddy. He seemed so tall and big, casting a shadow over her, even though he wasn't the tallest man she'd seen. For a person just meeting their child, he didn't show any emotion, which did disappoint Katia a bit.**

**In the hope of inspiring emotion, she did something she usually did with Rumlow that always got a response. She held her arms out, hoping to receive a hug. "Hello, Daddy." She smiled up at him, delightedly.**

**He didn't smile. He didn't lean down to hug her. He stared at her, frowning slightly in confusion. The Soldier looked to his superior, then back to Katia.**

**Katia felt her chest ache with hurt. She kept her arms held out. "Daddy?" Her voice was uncertain and sad. Her smile vanished.  
**

**Nothing. Daddy did nothing. Simply continued staring at her like she was a difficult sum he had to solve.**

**Tears welled in her eyes. "Daddy." She said. "Please give me a hug." Her voice sounded strange because she was about to cry. The Winter Soldier looked uneasy. Katia lowered her arms, giving up on receiving affection from Daddy. Tears dribbled down her cheeks, and her bottom lip stuck out to stop herself wailing.**

**"I think your father's tired, Katia. He came back from a mission not long ago, so he probably needs rest. Soldier, back to the chair." Mr Pierce said. Daddy took a step backwards, a flash of fear in his eyes, before spinning on his heel and walking towards the chair. "Rumlow, take her back to her room." Mr Pierce ordered, turning his back on them. Before leaving the room, he called out-**

**"Katia?" The HYDRA leader was giving her a sideways glance over his shoulder. "Let's keep this meeting a secret between us, shall we."**

**It wasn't a suggestion. It was a command.**

**A command Katia didn't dare disobey.  
**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I've made Rumlow strangely sympathetic :3
> 
> I hope I haven't done a sucky job at characterisation...or at writing this chapter, for that matter :3
> 
> Stay tuned for chapter three :)


	3. Family Portrait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three :D it's quite heavy in dialogue, so brace yourselves :)
> 
> Also, as a heads up, there is some mild sexual content (or mentions of it in memories) in this chapter :)
> 
> Hope you enjoy, folks!

Nick Fury found it vaguely bizarre that the woman sat across from him was a HYDRA assassin/super-soldier, who'd turned herself in to SHIELD-effectively putting herself in the custody of the Avengers- in the hopes that they would help find her child.

They were sat across from each other, at a smooth, onyx-coloured, marble granite topped table. Fury slapped down two files in front of him.

"You'll have to excuse me if I act out of sorts-" He apologised without any genuine conviction, opening the first file, "-thing is, I'm not used to HYDRA agents handing themselves over. Especially when they're asking us to find their kids."

"I'm not asking **_you_** to find my daughter. I'm asking you to **_help me_** find her." She corrected him.

"Either way, it equates to the Avengers taking time outta their day to act as a damn search party for a HYDRA lackey's offshoot-" Fury narrowed his remaining eye at the woman, but was promptly interrupted by her slamming her palm down.

"Don't fucking call her that!" She spat fiercely. Fury noticed she'd left a small crack in the granite table top. "She's a child. A five year old child, for Christ's sake. For all I know, she's on her own, lost and scared and..." The woman's mouth was open, but at a loss for words, all that came out was a soft whimpering croak. "I know you don't owe me anything. I know I've done nothing to deserve SHIELD's trust. I've had a part in creating the chaos that would've allowed HYDRA to gain order through domination. But if you could please do something...to stop an innocent five year old child ending up in harm's way...that's-that's all I'm asking..."

"HYDRA was responsible for numerous bombings, deemed 'terrorist attacks', that killed innocent children. You think, before they hatched their twisted plots, if the parents of those dead children had gone to them, asked-no, in fact- **_begged_** them not to plant those bombs-those goddamn bombs that sealed their kids' fates-you think, HYDRA would have suddenly decided to drop everything for them? Give the order not to go ahead? " Fury's gave her a measured stare, his question both poignant, and an expression of his unequivocal hatred toward the corrupt organisation.

 

The woman remained silent, staring ahead. Fury couldn't decide if it was an action born from shame or sheer petulance.

"So, please, **_enlighten me_** _._ Why should we grant you the same courtesy?" Fury leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers.

"I'm not like **_them_** , I never wanted to be part of their schemes. I **_had_** to do as they commanded or-" She stopped, with an indrawn hiss of breath.

"Or what?" Fury asked acidly.

"That son of a bitch Pierce would..." She turned her face away, pressing her lips together, before putting her head in her hands. Fury watched her closely, waiting for her to finish her sentence. "-get a couple of his knuckle-heads to smack me around. Never one to get his hands dirty, the piece of shit-"

"I've read your files. You've got _**abilities**_ that seemed to make you a subject of interest to HYDRA, so I'm guessing they're **_awfully_** impressive. If you were so adamant to not be part of them, why didn't you do anything to fight them?"

"I thought about it. I guess I was too scared. When I had...when I had Katia, Pierce had leverage over me."

"How so?"

"Said if I did anything I shouldn't or didn't follow my orders-he'd get Dr Gallagher to inject her with cyanide." The woman's eyes reddened. Fury felt an odd twinge. Even after such a long time of knowing about Pierce's treachery, this was infallible evidence of how much of a cold-hearted bastard he was. The bastard who'd once been his friend.

 

Fury turned his attention to the single document in the first manila file. There was a photograph attached to the document with a paperclip. It looked like a school photograph of a girl, aged around ten years old. Across the page, to which the photo was attached, the word DECEASED had been stamped.

"Juniper Marie Belle, born June eighteenth, nineteen ninety, to SHIELD agents Andrea and David Belle. Found to have **_mutant abilities_** following an incident when you were five years of age. After primary education you were to be sent to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, under the ruse that you were being shipped off to a boarding school. Your parents wanted to keep your powers on the down-low, didn't they?"

"They didn't want me getting into any bother." Juniper replied laconically, mouth quirking into a mirthless smile at the irony.

"Guess so. It didn't turn out so good though, did it? July, two thousand, your house was destroyed by a gas explosion. When they didn't find your corpse, what they found of your parents was enough for them to presume you, too, were deceased." Fury closed the folder, sliding it to the side.

"So ends the tale of Juniper Belle." She remarked sourly, folding her arms.

"And begins the story of **_Project Shadowfox_**." Fury cocked his head to one side, as if would help guage Juniper's reaction. As expected, she winced, nostrils flaring slightly.

"You've been doing your research, Director." She tried to sound nonchalant, but the considerable evasion of eye contact indicated to Fury that he'd struck a nerve.

"You're damn right I have." Fury said, not a trace of humour or warmth in his tone. He opened the second manila file, thicker than the last, with the HYDRA insignia. "Now I'm aware HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD, so I'm not surprised they found out about your abilities-but _**why** _ exactly did they take such an interest in you?"

 

"I can control people's bodies against their will. I can also possess up to four people and use them to whatever purpose I have in mind. I guess you could say, I hijack their bodies. Is it any wonder HYDRA were so desperate to have me?" Juniper told him, matter-of-factly.

"Sounds like something they'd go to extreme lengths to get their hands on. Which leads me to assume the whole gas explosion thing was a cover up-"

"Yes."

"-executed by the Winter Soldier?"

"Correct." Juniper confirmed. " I still remember that night. Ten years old, a couple of weeks after my birthday. It was the summer vacation, and I was enjoying every minute of it. I was practising my piano playing, my mom was in the same room as me, reading. Dad was making dinner. I felt peaceful, happy, like life was a fantastic journey I was undertaking. I turned to my mom, and she looked up from her book. We smiled at each other for a few moments. The next thing I knew, I heard something break through the window and saw my mom's blood and brains spatter the couch." She stopped talking for a moment.

"She just-her head just snapped to one side, and then she fell back. I saw...I saw blood leaking out the side of her head and dripping onto her shoulder. It took a few seconds for it to sink in. When I realised what'd just happened I screamed like a fucking lunatic. My dad came running in. He hadn't heard the glass break from the bullet. When he saw-oh, Jesus Christ, I still remember his face when he saw my mom dead on the couch....it was horror and despair all rolled into one. ' ** _Andrea_...** ' he kept whispering over and over. Of course, he walked in front of the fucking window-" Juniper sounded distraught and angry simultaneously

"That sound again, the sound of a bullet flying through the glass. Dad dropped down in seconds. His blood...on the wall...that's when I ran. Ran upstairs to my room. In retrospect, it was pretty fucking stupid to do that, but I wasn't exactly a tactician at ten years old. I hid under the bed, praying that this was a nightmare, that I'd wake up before the 'monster' caught me. I stayed there for what could have been five minutes or an hour, I don't know. But I heard the door slam open, and saw those combat boots. I thought I was going to be sick. How could this be real, I thought. The Soldier pulled me out from under the bed. I struggled, like anyone would, but he was strong. I was hitting him, and he seemed to barely feel it. After that, it's like the lights went out. My guess is he used some sort of tranquilizer on me or something. Next thing I know, I wake up in a white-tiled lab in a HYDRA base, where I went on to spend most of my life."

 

"I was trained constantly, taught the skills needed to be the perfect soldier. Project Shadowfox was HYDRA's dream of having a super-soldier with mutant abilities. When I was fifteen, they injected me with Erskine's serum, giving me enchanced strength, speed, stamina, you name it. They sent me off on missions with the STRIKE team, with Brock Rumlow as my handler-" Juniper continued, but was suddenly occupied with a memory...

 

**Rumlow. She enjoyed every moment she had with her handler...  
**

**There wasn't anything going on. It was just a teenage crush. _An infatuation_** , **Dr Addison had explained to her when she'd dared to confide in him. The important thing was that is was perfectly normal. She was addicted to his confident stride, his deliciously muscular physique, the cocky smile that so often plastered his face...and he was an older guy, so he must have been experienced. Plus, he seemed to appreciate her company. The two had mutual respect for one another.**

**At night, she would imagine his skillful hands gliding over the length of her body, fingers grazing over sensitive parts of her anatomy. _Erogenous zones_ was what she'd read in a textbook. She wanted to feel his lips brushing over her cheek, stopping at her ear and hear him whisper things-things that would make her blush, yet make her body respond in all the right ways...**

 

"Judging by the lengthy pause, I'm guessing you and him had more than a handler-thrall relationship?" Fury interrupted her intimate thoughts. Juniper prayed she wasn't blushing.

"I wasn't his _**thrall** _. He respected me. We respected each other, liked each other." Juniper bristled indignantly.

"That all?"

"Admittedly, we screwed each other senseless." Juniper rolled her eyes, slumping in her seat like a belligerent teenager.

 

**They may have done, but he was gentle the first time. The night of her eighteenth birthday-not celebrated with a swanky meal or expensive gifts-was made unforgettable because of Rumlow.**

**His firm body pressed against her own, the heat of his mouth as it was pushed against her full, ripe lips and the way his hands explored slowly, tenderly down her body.**

**It was the first time she'd ever been with anyone, the first time anyone had ever touched her in that way. Rumlow's reassuring whispers of-**

**"I'll be careful, sugar. I'll look after you. You're gonna be okay."**

**He had been. And Juniper was certainly okay.**

 

**After that, whatever free time they had during assignments was spent finding a private spot and screwing one another into delirium.**

**More often than not, they'd sidle off to some empty room or slip behind a decrepit building, strip from the waist down, and then Rumlow would hoist Juniper up and show her he didn't need Erskine's serum to satisfy and exhaust her, despite her seemingly bottomless reserve of stamina.**

**With her enhanced strength, she was more than happy for a vigorous session. On one occasion, after a fairly close shave with death, both the super-soldier and her handler were riled up and running on a sudden hormone surge. Juniper had ended up with bruised knees (which healed not long after their appearance) from Rumlow's driving thrusts, her open legs having been knocked against the wall behind her. During their climaxes, both had yelled a string of obscenities that would've made a nun faint in mortification.**

**Yes. They liked one another indeed.**

 

"I figured. Was that why Dr Addison made this little comment right here? ' ** _Shadowfox, while clearly adept, has shown potential signs of being emotionally compromised. Has formed a particularly close bond with her handler, Brock Rumlow. Suspect this may result in illogical decisions if he's wounded in combat._** '" Fury inquired. Juniper scoffed derisively.

"Addison was a prick. Granted, me and Rumlow were close, but we weren't in love with each other. We made it very clear that if we were ever in that situation, the uninjured party would consider the welfare of the team above all."

"' ** _Shadowfox also demonstrates a lack of conviction in her service to HYDRA. Likely she will not strive to achieve our_ _goal._** '" Fury read from the document.

"Hmm, that I can't argue against. I didn't exactly have a choice in joining HYDRA." Juniper conceded.

"I'm not going to complain about your lack of dedication to HYDRA. But don't interpret that as a proclamation of trust." Fury said, skimming over the rest of the documentation with his eye.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Juniper quipped.

"Tell a little about  _ **Project Nightmare**  _, Belle." Fury commanded, calmly. Juniper sighed audibly, hanging her head as if in exhaustion. After a minute, she finally began to explain.

 

"Seeing as I wasn't ideal for HYDRA-in other words, I wasn't always compliant-they decided to work on creating another super-soldier, the **_perfect_ ** soldier. I had to undergo some uncomfortable and somewhat invasive procedures. They gave me some medication and follicle stimulating hormone to trigger hyperovulation. After a few painful days, they extracted several cycles' worth of ova. Dr Gallagher and Addison then did the whole IVF caboodle, using semen taken from...well...fuck knows. They never told me. I figured it was one of their best agents or something. After some analysis of the zygotes, making sure they had the desirable traits- enhanced speed, strength, durability, stamina, **_intelligence_** , and **_mutant abilities_** -the best zygotes were transferred to my uterus."

"Out of the three that were transferred, I carried one, successfully, to full term. Then along came Katia. My beautiful little Katia. Even though she was a HYDRA creation, she was still _**my** _ child. It sounds corny, but I fell in love with her the minute I held her. If it hadn't been for her, I can honestly say I would have done something very, very unwise at some point."

"But Katia wasn't made just to placate me. She was made for a very fucked up purpose. She was going to be trained, taught and indoctrinated from the minute she was able to comprehend anything. They'd make her an ideal soldier, someone with boosted capabilities, unyielding loyalty and abilities that would...would help them control the world's population through fear."

"How so? What is Katia able to do?" Fury asked. Juniper froze in her seat, trepidation weighing heavily in her expression.

"The doctors were careful to pick zygotes with beneficial mutations. They expected their powers to be similar to my own. I suppose Katia's are in a way. Where I can control and possess people's bodies...Katia.....she can manipulate people's minds..."

"Mind control?" Fury raised his eyebrow.

"In a nutshell, yes. They would have used her to twist people's own minds against them. Make them live their own personal nightmares. Cripple them mentally til they're driven to insanity. HYDRA would have harnessed her abilities to ensure she was able to access the minds of every single human being on the planet, acting like a psychological watch-dog, ready to strike them down if they considered rebelling. And what greater an opponent than a person's own mind? Maybe it would start off as hearing odd sounds, voices? Then perhaps it would progress to hallucinations that would scare the shit out of them? Before you know it, the would-be rebel is a gibbering lunatic."

"So you see, Director Fury, now there's a very valid reason for you to find my daughter-seeing as compassion is off the table. Because if you don't, and if what remains of HYDRA  gets hold of her....we are all royally fucked."

 

 

 


	4. Simply An Asset

Katia peered around the police station, observing the way people were bustling past-clutching documents- or the police officers were striding through purposefully. The child was sat opposite the front desk, where regular folk were either reporting misdeeds committed against them, or having explained to them the consequential legal paperwork following indisrections of their own.

Katia watched all these people, who were blissfully unaware of her presence, thoroughly wrapped up in the details of their lives. That concept was alien to Katia, not simply just because she was at too young an age to be jaded by the obstacles life had to offer, but also because in the HYDRA facility there had been nothing to  _ **really**_ think about. Yes, she'd had her lessons, her educational books, the books she read for enjoyment, conversations with her mother and the extensive vocabulary of Mr Donovan to marvel at in only the way a child can.

But at no point had she ever thought about anything besides that. There was no need to speculate what she'd be given for her next meal, no classmates to think of befriending, seeing as she'd been the only child at the facility. Katia knew no other children. Her life had been spent surrounded by scientists, agents and the STRIKE team. All of them adults, and, to varying degrees, rather enigmatic.

During the quieter period of the ebbing and flowing of people entering and exiting the station, the receptionist offered Katia a plastic cup full of chilly water. Feeling a dryness at the back of her throat, Katia gratefully accepted the drink and began sipping demurely from the cup, brushing her small fingertips over the ridges of the plastic. While her thirst was quenched, an unpleasant gnawing grew in the pit of her stomach. She wrapped her arms around her grumbling stomach, as each wave of hunger ripped through her gut. The discomfort became visible in a pained contorting of her dainty face. Thankfully, the receptionist came to Katia's aid, offering her a bag of raisins.

"Poor honey, I could hear your stomach. Why didn't you say anything?" She asked, as the little girl graciously accepted the food, peering into the bag-as if investigating its contents.

"I didn't want to complain." Katia replied, in a tone that was almost _**blithe**_.

"Asking for a food isn't complaining, honey, it's normal. You _**need**_   food."

"Okay. Thank you very much." She said, dipping her hand into the packet and scooping up a handful of the dried fruit.

"Okay, sweetie. It's okay." The receptionist sighed, returning to her desk.

 

_**Normal?** _

Katia attempted assimilate this input of information, this commentary on the standard behaviour of a child in the 'outside world'. The world outside of HYDRA.

There was never to be any petulance, no making demands. Katia was given what she required to maintain healthy, but she was never permitted to _**ask**_ for anything. The only exceptions to the rule were her mother, Rumlow and Mr Donovan. Strangely enough, Katia behaved impeccably, and never seemed to protest or throw tantrums. In fact, had she not been so sweet and inherently likeable, most people-mainly in the 'outside world'-probably would have been fazed by her.

 _ **Did this mean she wasn't normal**_? Did this society she'd, quite literally, run into hold standards for children her age? Was there a particular conduct required?  Katia speculated being the notion of being set apart from other children for her rather unique mannerisms and behaviour. In some ways, she understood, in others-it didn't seem entirely fair to do such a thing, when these thoughts, these feelings, the way she **_instinctively_** acted, were such an integral part of hr.

 _ **Was she not a real child**_?

 _ **Like father, like daughter, intended to be little more than hollow shells, ready to do HYDRA's bidding-bodies simply vehicles for the corporation's vindictive schemes**_.

Katia drifted into the depths of a memory...

 

 **She clung onto Rumlow's hand, tears cooling on her dark eyelashes.** **Her father had shown no sign of bearing any affection for her. Instead, he'd appeared _alarmed_ by her ** **need for his acknowledgement and love. Rumlow, with his best efforts, tried to soothe her, reassuring her that Winter Soldier's reaction was nothing to do with her. That is was simply just the way he was.  
**

**"Why, Rumlow? Why is my Daddy like that?" Katia inquired sorrowfully, her lower lip pushed forward and upturned in a small pout. Rumlow didn't reply immediately. At one point, it seemed as though he would, but the words stopped short of passing his lips. They continued walking through the bleak corridor, when he eventually answered in a hushed voice.  
**

**"He's not... _all there_** **." H** **e began explaining, uncomfortably.**

**"What do you mean?" Katia asked, confusion writing itself across her little face.**

**"His mind is...different. To yours or mine. He's not really _normal_." Rumlow glanced shiftily from side to side, as if worried about being overheard.  
**

**"Has he got a problem? Is he sick?"**

**"Kind of. Well. No. Not really. He's not....a real _person_." The way Rumlow spoke suggested the topic was a difficult one to broach.**

**"But Rumlow-he is! He's real! I saw him." Katia's brows crinkled into a vexed frown. It would have been endearingly funny had it not been in the context it was.**

**"No, he _is_ real. Just...the _person_ inside him, who _he_ is...isn't normal. In that sense, he's not a true person."**

**"I don't get it, Rumlow. What is he?" Katia persisted. Rumlow suddenly scooped her up in his arms, carrying her for the remaining length of the journey back to her room.  
**

**"He's an asset, Katia."**

**"That's what Mr Pierce said." She remarked, almost curtly. "What does it mean? Why do people keep calling him that?" A brief silence followed her quesion.**

**"Because he's not human." Rumlow said quietly, but significantly. He turned his face, and the expression he had carved itself into Katia's memory. It was an emotion Katia could not identify, despite all the words she'd been taught. Then the man spoke once more-  
**

**"He's a weapon."**

 

Pulled from her thoughts by the sound of her name being called, Katia peered up to see a police officer and a middle-aged man in a suit. He had a receding hairline, a slightly crooked nose, but gentle blue eyes and a kindly smile.

"Katia? This man has come to collect you, he's part of a very special group of people who can help you and find your Mommy." The police officer spoke to her as though she were a simpleton. The man in the suit, however, didn't speak so condescendingly. Instead, he crouched down, so his face was level with her own-and held his hand out to her.

"Hello there, Katia. I'm Agent Phil Coulson. I work with an organisation known as SHIELD, I don't know if you've heard of us not, but if the name sounds remotely familiar-it's likely you've been told some very **_negative_   **things about us. I want to assure you, we are **not** bad people, and we intend to keep you and your mother safe by by placing you in the protection of the Avengers." He said, his voice soft. Katia accepted his offered hand. Agent Coulson shook hers gently in polite greeting.

"You know where my Mommy is?!" Katia inquried eagerly.

"Yes-" Coulson said affirmatively, smiling- "She's safe. And I've come to take you to her."


	5. An Uneasy Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy folks! I'm finally back in the writing game-for the time being at least. I have a brief respite from work, so I'll be able to write and update my fics :D
> 
> Hope this chapter is to your liking :D
> 
> On a sidenote, just in case anyone is wondering, in terms of time-line...I like to imagine the chapters with Juniper happened a few days before Katia's escape from the HYDRA facility :)
> 
> Enjoy! ^.^

Juniper paced back and forth, like a captive lion, across the width of the room. Her arms were firmly crossed across her front, and her face set as stone. She peered down at the manila files left, temporarily abandoned, on the onyx table-glaring at them as though they had personally offended her.

When the door to the 'interrogation' room was swung open, her eyes darted up to pin whomever had entered with a baleful stare. She unfolded her arms, balling her hands into clenched fists at her sides.

"Whoa, easy, sweetheart. I'm not here to challenge you to a duel-" The man spoke quickly, holding up his hands in a gesture of goodwill. He made himself immediately recognisable-with his attractive looks and a propensity for quipping-as Tony Stark. Juniper arched her eyebrows at him, in a manner as close to haughty as one could get.

"You wouldn't win even if you were." She retorted vitriolically.

"Now, now, play nice with the other kids if you want to make friends, Belle." Stark chided her facetiously. Juniper scowled, snorting contemptuously at the engineer.

"I'm assuming Fury told you what I can do? You honestly thinking _**patronising**_ me is wise at the current moment in time, Stark?" She questioned him, her manner no less caustic.

"Yeah, I know what you can do. Which is why I think you should join us." He said significantly. Juniper's scowl morphed into confusion.

"What?" Juniper's hostility melted into stupefaction.

 

"Allow me to explain. You need to find your kid. We need all the support we can get to eliminate what remains of HYDRA. I figure, why not help each other out? Y'know, you scratch our backs, we scratch yours-see where I'm going with this?" Tony said casually, gesturing loosely with his hands. Juniper folded her arms again, staring at the quick-witted billionaire with conjecture.

"That's it? You help me, I help you fight off the rest of HYDRA? There's no catch?"

"None at all. It is what it is-I'm not Fury, I don't have anything to hide." He told her with a curious sincerity. Juniper watched his face closely, in the hopes of detecting any kind of deception-but she saw nothing but genuinity, and frank honesty. Her gelid conduct warmed slightly, and she allowed her arms to fall to her sides.

"Okay. Anything for Katia. All I want is my little girl back." She said, a grief-stricken look on her face.

"I know. We'll get her back to you, Juniper." Tony promised her. Though she may have been a HYDRA assassin....she was still a loving mother and a woman living with the cirumstances forced upon her by the cold, indifference of Alexander Pierce. She didn't deserve to be persecuted, he believed, just as James Buchanan Barnes didn't deserve to be ostracised and punished for the murders HYDRA had him orchestrate...

 _ **Mom and Dad, though**_.... he thought, trying not to flinch at the thought. Juniper looked at him, her expression softening.

"Something's troubling you?" She asked him, the maternal instinct within her obviously being triggered. Tony immediately gathered his thoughts, and shook his head dismissively.

"Nope, nothing at all! C'mon, you need to meet the others. It's vital you build some kind of relationship with each of them, even if it's only one of superficial pleasantries." He beckoned to her, walking towards the door. When he turned back, expecting to see her following, he instead saw Juniper remaining rooted to the spot-hesitant of something.

"I won't be welcomed. I was part of HYDRA, Tony. They won't want to be in the same room as me-" A hint of the small, scared and vulnerable child she'd probably once been seemed to come through in her words.

"They'll just to learn to deal with it, Juniper. Whether they like it or not, we _**need**_ you. We're at a tipping point here, and you could be the difference between HYDRA growing into something far more terrifying than it was before....or us eradicating every last one of them, and stopping all the shit they've done and could go on to do." He told her firmly.

Juniper didn't argue.

 

As they made their way up in the elevator to the leisure facilities- where the rest of the Avengers were probably lounging about, joking and chatteringa way-Tony had to broach an uncomfortable topic.

"Look, there's something you need to know. A while after HYDRA was brought down and SHIELD got disbanded-and then re-established-Rogers and Wilson managed to find Barnes, and eventually convince him to come here. He's part of the team, I guess."

Juniper looked at him expectantly.

"Barnes? You know who he is, right?" Tony asked, somewhat surprised.

"Am I supposed to?" She retorted.

"Huh. James Buchanan Barnes...was the Winter Soldier. The man who-" Tony hesitated, "-assassinated your parents." He informed her gravely, trying to be as sensitive and respectful as he could.

He was astonished to see a completely stolid expression on the woman's face.

"So that's his name. Alright." Juniper replied, with a thoughtful nod.

"Alright?" Tony was bewildered.

"Yes?" Juniper frowned at the engineer. "What? What do you want me to say?"

"I just-I thought you'd be a bit more-" Tony balked.

"Upset? Angry? Distressed?" Juniper hazarded guesses.

" _ **Responsive.**_ " Tony said, aghast. Juniper snorted, shaking her head as if Tony were some naive child.

"I miss my parents. What was done to them was fucking evil. But that man who executed them, and the man who lives with you all and fights for your cause, are two different people. I know that much, at least. I know what they did to them. What _**Pierce**_ did to him." She explained. Tony was rendered speechless for, what seemed to be, the first time in his life.

"That's what he was, wasn't he? Brain-washed, right? Then stuck in a fucking freezer when they didn't need him. No, I don't hate him, Tony, I don't have a vendetta against him. In fact, I feel nothing but sympathy for him." She added. "Don't get me wrong, when I was younger, I despised him. I wanted to assume control of his body and make him pummel his own brains in against a concrete wall. But as I got older, saw much more, realised just how abhorrent HYDRA was...then it occured to me that he was just as much a victim as I was."

 

"You're very diplomatic." Tony remarked dourly. Juniper's eyebrows quirked upward at the utterance.

"He did something to you, didn't he?" She caught on expeditiously.

"My parents. For a long time, I believed the car crash story..." He said quietly.

"I'm sorry." Juniper said after a moment of mournful silence.

"We've both been made orphans by him."

"No. Not him. HYDRA." Juniper corrected him gently. The elevator doors suddenly slid open, laughter and conversation spilt from the large room. Anxiety tightened its grip on Juniper's innards, and she felt her body turn to lead. Tony began walking forward, urging the ex-assassin out of the elevator by placing a hand on her back and nudging her along. The Avengers were gathered together on vast, powdery-grey chenille upholstered couches, surrounded by modernistic decor. A well-built, tawny-haired man-after having heard the elevator doors-called out to Tony, blissfully unaware of the guest.

"Hey, Stark, we were just talking out about that time you-" He halted mid-sentence when he caught sight of Juniper. His grin faded into caution. The others, intrigued by their team-mate's odd behaviour, swivelled around. Judging by the smiles vanished swiftly from their faces, they were equally tentative.

 

"It's rude to stare, guys, c'mon! Where are your manners?!" Tony chided them, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Steve, please, help me here! You're meant to be the adorable one, with all those forties' sensibilities!"

"Err...yeah. Of course. Um. Right, yeah!" Steve stood up quickly, placed a glass down on a coffee table and hurried towards Tony and Juniper. He was incredibly handsome, with nicely styled blond hair and the physique of a god-Juniper could certainly appreciate the sight of him. Steve cleared his throat, smiling timidly at Tony and watching Juniper warily in his peripherals. "Thing is, we know about you-um, Miss Belle. When Nat leaked the files..." He began, awkwardly, but Juniper was quick to intervene.

"You probably found out I did all that stuff while completely lucid. I wasn't brain-washed like James Barnes. They didn't wipe my memory. I doubt any of you trust me, you probably think I've been sent as some kind of double-agent, prepared to do HYDRA's bidding and bring you all down 'from the inside'. I wouldn't blame you for feeling that way." She said, frankly. Steve's expression became sympathetic.

"No, no we didn't think that at all. We know...about the things that happened to you, when you were still just a child. What they _**made**_ you do. They used your daughter against you." He said, with such profound sadness, touching her arm lightly.

"Granted, we're a little surprised to see you." He glanced back at the other Avengers, still observing Juniper. "But one thing's for sure, we don't have any qualms with you. Just...don't use those abilities of yours on us, if you wouldn't mind?" Steve requested sheepishly. Juniper's face-previously barren of emotion- was split by an amused grin, and laughter escaped the confines of her body. Her reaction seemed to break the tension in the room, as the others started chuckling-Steve included.

"You see, this is why we need you, Steve. Your boyish charm makes up for the complete lack of charisma these guys have-" Tony gestured at the other Avengers. One of them, a woman with stunning, blazing red curls, quite unceremoniously stuck her middle finger up at the rogueish billionaire. Further mirth broke out amongst the close-knit team.

"So, that's why you're dating me? For my 'boyish charm'?" Steve smiled coyly at Tony.

"Pfft, no! I'm dating you for your body! Why would I be in a relationship with you for your personality?" Tony scoffed jokingly.

"I totally understand. Besides, if I don't complain, I keep getting all those expensive presents. I mean, I am your 'hunky toy boy', after all, aren't I?" Steve gave his boyfriend a coquettish look, whilst elicting amusement from their companions.

"Mmm, I love it when you get all sassy with me." Tony growled, pulling the younger man towards him for a passionate kiss.

"Aww, get a room, you two!" One of the others called out.

 

Juniper smiled placidly at the scene before her-but then noticed something from the corner of her eye. A door opened, and a man walked out, surveying the area vigilantly.

Dark, shoulder-length hair, much tidier than she'd ever seen it. Smooth shaven. Strong physique. A glimpse of a metal hand, the rest of the bionic limb covered by the sleeve of his hooded top. His bright eyes focused on her, a new person-and his body seemed to tense up.

Juniper wondered if James Barnes recognised her, but given how Pierce had his mind wiped after every mission, she wouldn't have been especially surprised if he didn't. She didn't break eye contact with him, just watched him passively. Steve, after pulling himself from Tony's ardent embrace, noticed Juniper's intent focus and turned around.

"Bucky. You feeling okay?" He inquired gently.

'Bucky' was approaching the new arrival, brow furrowing. He seemed exceptionally circumspect, eyes pinning her with an unflinching stare.

"Who are you?" Bucky asked, voice low.

"Juniper Belle." She replied calmly. He advanced further towards her, pace quickening.

"Buck-it's okay, she's alright-" Steve held his hand out to keep his friend from encroaching on Juniper's personal space. Bucky merely nudged the blocking arm aside, and stood only a few inches from Juniper.

"I've seen your face." He told her.

"I've definitely seen yours before. On several occasions." Juniper responded, without a hint of fear. After all, if Bucky attacked her-despite her not being a source of provocation-she could simply make his body seize up on the spot. Or hijack his central nervous system, and have him throw himself at a wall.

 

"Why do I remember you?" Bucky asked her, but it seemed to be more of question to himself.

"Because I lived in the same facility you did. You probably saw me around when you were being prepped or returning from a mission."

"Were you like me? Or were you _**one of them**_?" His eyes narrowed.

"I was like you." The words made his expression less hostile. "In a sense. They didn't do to me what they did to you."

"They didn't erase your memory?"

"No."

"You remember everything?"

"Yes."

"Everything? The tests, the injections, the indoctrination?" He demanded.

"Yes, unfortunately."

"The people you had to kill?" Sorrow was etched across Bucky's face.

"Bucky, please..." Steve began to plead.

"Yes. I do." Juniper admitted, dropping her gaze to the floor.

"I'm starting to remember them too. I see a face appear in my mind sometimes. Someone crying, or begging." Bucky told her in a brittle voice. "Do you remember when HYDRA took you?"

"Vividly. I was ten years old. They wanted me for my abilities, so they had my parents assassinated and I was kidnapped. Whole thing was covered up with a gas explosion." She peered up at him.

"I did it, didn't I?" His expression was so forlorn, Juniper felt **_guilty_** for confirming his suspicions.

"Yes."

Bucky took a few steps back, his lips pressed together, averting his gaze in shame.

"I'm so sorry, Juniper." He said, barely above a whisper.

 Juniper couldn't respond, because she knew nothing she said would ever truly wipe away his feelings of remorse


End file.
